Alexander Zverev Reveals the ‘Mistake’ He Committed After the Australian Open Final Loss to Jannik Sinner
After the Australian open, Alexander Zverev had a rather poor season except for the triumph at the BMW Open.
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Alexander Zverev (Image via X/The Tennis Letter)
World No. 2 Alexander Zverev will be looking to defend his title at the 2025 Italian Open now. However, this would be a Herculean task for the German, as he will also have to face the return of World No. 1 Jannik Sinner and World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz in Rome. Both had withdrawn from the tournament last year.
Sinner is returning to tour after the end of his three-month doping suspension, while Alcaraz returns after a brief pause he took due to an injury he encountered during the Barcelona Open finals, where he lost to Holger Rune. During the press conference ahead of the Italian Open, Zverev addressed his poor form this season, attributing it to the exhaustion he faced after the Australian Open.
Before the Munich tournament, my tennis level was really poor, and I know the reason why. Not taking a few weeks off after the Australian Open was a mistake because I ended up mentally exhausted. Tennis is a tough sport; we need to give both the body and mind a break, and I didn’t do that when I should have. Now I must be positive and remember that I won a tournament two weeks ago
Alexander Zverev said at the Italian Open press conference (H/T: Punto de Break)
Zverev played his third Grand Slam final at the Australian Open this year, however, he lost to defending champion Jannik Sinner. It was a heartbreaking loss for Zverev, who is yet to lift a Grand Slam title. His performance dwindled following that tournament, as he failed to progress beyond the quarterfinals in the South American swing and faced early exits in the Sunshine swing.
He started off his clay season with an opening round exit at the Monte Carlo Masters. Alcaraz went on to win that tournament and briefly overtook him for the World No. 2 rank. Zverev, however, regained his previous rank after winning the BMW Open the same day Alcaraz lost the Barcelona Open.
Zverev defeated Ben Shelton in the BMW Open finals to clinch his third title in Munich. After the BMW Open, Zverev played in the Madrid Open, where he lost in the Round of 16 to Francisco Cerundolo.
Alexander Zverev will be aiming for a third Italian Open title
Alexander Zverev is a two-time champion at the Italian Open. He won the tournament for the first time in 2017, where he defeated Novak Djokovic in straight sets in the finals. It marked his first Masters 1000 title. Last year, Zverev defeated Nicolas Jarry in the finals to clinch this title. Zverev will be aiming for his 25th career title in the Italian Open this season.
This year he’ll kick-start his Italian Open campaign facing Camilo Ugo Carabelli in the opening round. Zverev will be facing the Argentine for the first time.
Zverev has met Carlos Alcaraz 11 times on court and edges him 6-5 in the head-to-head encounters. They once again could set up a blockbuster match if both of them advance to the semifinals of the Italian Open. The winner of the match could potentially schedule the showdown with Jannik Sinner. Sinner will be aiming for his first clay court title above an ATP 250 level.
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